


Shingeki no Kaiju

by Nimbus_Cloud



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-20
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-02 03:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1052235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimbus_Cloud/pseuds/Nimbus_Cloud
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An extensive crossover placing the characters of SNK into the world of Pacific Rim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Compatibility

She was running.  Her breath was catching in her throat and her lungs burned from the smoke that had replaced the air, but she had no choice but to breathe it in.  Breathe it in, breathe it out.  Keep running.  Ahead of her, she could see only smoke, gray and white and chalky.  It stung her eyes behind her glasses, which were cracked in both lenses.  It was just as well.  There was nothing ahead to see.  Nothing on either side.  But behind her, there was something.  So she had to run.  Run and breathe.  It was poison to breathe but it was certain death if she failed to run. 

She tripped over a piece of rubble at her feet, a chunk of brick dislodged from a building, she couldn’t be sure.  Her glasses shattered on the ground, but she instinctively reached out for them, her hands clapping against the pavement.  That’s when the ground shook.  No, not shook.  It churned and roiled, and Rico was sure that the earth would open up and swallow her at any moment.  The street was so solid against her body but she felt the unparalleled fear of falling, falling into an abyss.  There was a loud crack that resounded in her ears, and then she was blinded by a horrible white light. 

“Rico, get up!” 

The glaring fluorescent bulbs overhead pricked her eyes with their light, and Rico groaned as she sat up in her bottom bunk.  When she put a hand to her head, she could feel her own cold sweat and feel the rapid beat of her quickened pulse in her neck.  A cool hand found her cheek and Zoe’s gentle voice floated into her ears. 

“The dream again?” 

“…yeah.” 

“Do you want some water?”

  
“I’d love some.” 

The cool liquid is a blessed relief as it flows down her throat, and she can trace the water down all the way to the pit of her stomach. 

“So we get to try drift sync testing today,” Hanji chimed as she pulled her sports bra over her head, snapping it in place below her breasts. 

Rico found her glasses in time to catch a lovely glimpse of Zoe’s rippling abs just before they disappear beneath a black tank top.  Rico could always appreciate Zoe’s lithely strong body, no matter where her mind had been moments before. 

“I wouldn’t get too excited.  If we aren’t drift capable, they’re likely to cut us immediately from the program.” 

“Don’t be a spoilsport.”  Hanji grinned cheekily before tousling Rico’s platinum blond hair.  “Trust me, we’re compatible.”  She articulated her words by slipping her hands around Rico’s bare waist, and resting her weight on Rico’s thighs. 

Rico gave an affectionate peck just below Hanji’s ear before shoving her off unceremoniously.

“I’m not dressed yet, and you’re not about to make us late.” 

* * *

 

In the mess hall, they took their breakfast at a leisurely pace.  They didn’t have to report in for drift sync testing until 10:30, and they had already slept in quite a bit.  The rumors among their classmates were that they were a favorite pair to become jaeger pilots.  Rico Brzenska and Hanji Zoe, who had enrolled together into the Jaeger program after taking indefinite leaves of absence from a promising education at U.C. Berkeley. 

The two were survivors from the very first kaiju attack in San Francisco.  When the earthquake first hit, there had been a general evacuation.  Californians were used to the ground quaking beneath their feet.  On that Saturday, Rico and Hanji had been having a late morning, as they usually did, giggling as they tussled under their blankets and playfully arguing about who would get out of bed first.  It was always Rico.  But when the shaking started, they were both up, dressing quickly and evacuating to the nearest open area.  Neither of them had felt a 7.1 earthquake before, but frequent drills had taught them what to do. 

But when military vehicles started to flood campus and giant trucks and vans came to evacuate people in much greater scale, they knew that no drill could have ever prepared them for what came next.  For the next six days, they were in and out of shelters as rescue teams moved them further and further inland.  During the first three, Rico tried frantically to get in touch with her parents in Oakland. 

After six days, the command was finally given to use three nuclear missiles to take down Trespasser at the expense of Oakland, much of the Bay Area, and all of the civilians living there. 

When the Jaeger Program was later launched along with the Pan Pacific Defense Corps as an alternative method of fighting the kaiju, one that promised to reduce civilian casualties by not having to resort to overly destructive nuclear weapons, Rico grabbed her belongings, her valedictorian status, her girlfriend Zoe, and left almost immediately. 

“We should probably head out.” Rico hated being late.  If she wasn’t at least five minutes early, she was late. 

On their way to the Drift Sync Test room, they walked past classmates who wished them only the best of luck.  There were Mike and Nanaba, who had already proven themselves drift compatible the day before, Erwin, who had been forced to drift with Nile to no avail, Ian, Kitts, and Mitabi. 

As their Pons headsets were getting strapped in, Marshall Dot Pixis gave them the basic rundown. 

“Get yourself nice and comfortable, ladies, you’re in for a ride.  We’ll be nice and give you until the count of three before we initiate the neural handshake.  Once you’re in the Drift, you’ll share everything: memories, instincts, emotions.  You will attempt to keep your mind clear of all thoughts.” 

Rico’s fingers clenched and unclenched in her seat as she listened.  Her mental state wasn’t in the best of places given how she had woken up that morning, but she was determined to see this through.

“Now this is your first time, it might take you a while to get your minds under control, but you’re encouraged to take less than a minute with your first connection.” 

A warm smile dared to peek out from beneath that neatly trimmed white moustache. 

“I’ve heard good things about you two, let’s see what you’ve got.” 

_Initiating Neural Handshake_

Images began flashing in both of their minds about each other.  Much of it was full of things they already knew. 

A young Rico reads books on her windowsill in a two-story, white picket-fence home in Oakland, a little tabby cat sleeping on her lap. 

A young Hanji hides in her closet, crying silently as a drunken man shouts and beats his wife in a small, run-down apartment somewhere in Lancaster. 

A handsome young tutor pats the soft blond hair of a young girl excelling in her studies.

A young dirty brunette with greasy hair and dirt smeared on her nose finds herself immersed in her local library, the books providing a wonderful escape.  Science in particular has a wonderful rationality that draws her in, and she dreams of adventure.

A big envelope arrives in the mail. 

Rico’s mother brings it proudly into the kitchen, placing it on the table in front of her daughter.

Hanji rips it open on the spot as soon as she spots it in the mailbox. 

Rico meets her roommate for the first time, and she’s a cheery biology major with slight BO.  But damn it if her enthusiasm isn’t infectious.

Hanji meets her roommate for the first time, and she’s a closeted economics major who’s also Pre-Law.  And really hot. 

The earthquake hits. 

_Pilots out of sync_

_  
_“Rico’s out of sync, sir, she’s chasing the RABIT.”

The ground is convulsing beneath her feet and smoke begins to cloud her vision.

“Rico!  Snap out of it!”

  
 _Drift Sync Test failed_

The machines powered down as both of them removed their headsets.   
 _Would you like to try again?_

“Get it under control, Ms. Brzenska.”  came the cool voice of Marshall Pixis. 

“I apologize, sir.  It won’t happen again.”  Rico practically hissed, gripping her headset. 

The problem was that it did happen again.  A second, third, and fourth time.  Even if she could get her RABIT under control, Rico found her thoughts were not synonymous with Zoe’s on many counts.  Particularly her thoughts about the kaiju.  Zoe found them utterly fascinating, and Rico found them utterly repulsive. 

The halting cybernetic voice mocked them.  _Would you like to try again?_

But Marshall Pixis raised his hand to stay the program, and both women knew that their chances of piloting a jaeger were slim to none now. 

“You are two of our best students, but incompatibility isn’t something you can fix with hard work.”  A heavy nose sigh ruffled the whiskers of his moustache as he scrawled his signature onto a form.  “Tomorrow you’ll be drift sync testing with a few other students listed as potentially compatible.  Dismissed.”  


	2. Incompatibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Erwin isn't allowed to have any cinnamon rolls.

Being hooked up to Nile Dawk was an absolute disaster.  They were disconnected in less than five seconds, with neither of them wanting to try for a second round.  Marshall Pixis had laughed heartily at their incompatibility, but promised that they’d both find their place in the war efforts. 

It certainly wasn’t either Erwin or Nile’s idea to be strapped up to a tester together.  But they had gone at each other with such ferocity in the KWOON room that Marshall Pixis had ventured to test it.

“Sometimes, men hate each other because they’re too much alike.”  he had chuckled. 

At the very least, both were able to remain civil in continuing interactions.  They were soldiers after all.  Schoolboy brawls had no place in the Shatterdome when the greater threat loomed from the depths of the Pacific. 

“Out of my way, Groucho Marx,” Nile grunted as he bumped his shoulder into Erwin’s as they passed each other. 

Well, a certain kind of civil, Erwin mused. 

From the breakfast line, Erwin poured himself a coffee, grabbed a plate of eggs with bacon, and passed up the fruit plate for _two_ cinnamon rolls. 

“Bad day?”  A voice came from over his shoulder. 

“Not all of us have found our perfect co-pilot, Mike.” 

An arm draped itself around Erwin’s shoulder, which he shrugged off before finding a seat at one of the long tables in the mess hall. 

“Your chances are still better than any hope Nile has of growing out a full beard.” 

“…you and he have exactly the same facial hair.”

“I trim mine to keep it neat, his is just scraggly and grows in patches.”  Mike sniffed.  “Anyway, his list of potential candidates is much shorter than yours, and you’ll have a go with both Rico and Zoe today.”  Mike’s fork picked at one of Erwin’s cinnamon rolls.

“You mean they weren’t compatible with each other?”  Erwin questioned while moving his plate of cinnamon rolls out of Mike’s reach. 

“You’re gonna get fat.”

“Maybe I’m hoping to grow as tall as you.  Now tell me about Rico and Zoe.” 

Mike shrugged as he put the fork down on the table and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head. 

“I don’t know.  They just weren’t compatible, I guess.  Rico would fade in and out of chasing the RABIT, and anytime they got close to a full connection, they’d fall out of sync again for some reason or another.  Zoe was feeling really guilty about it, kept saying it was her fault.” 

That didn’t make sense to Erwin, but his mouth was too full of food to point this out.  And it would of course be at that moment, when his cheeks were stuffed with bacon, that Marshall Pixis wandered over to their table, rapping his knuckles on his tray. 

“Erwin Smith, you’re to report to the Drift Sync Test Room today at 1100 hours for a trial run drifting with Rico Brzenska.” 

Painfully swallowing the rest of the food in his mouth, Erwin managed to force out a, “Yes sir!” as he straightened his back and pulled his hand up to a salute.  Mike fell into a silent salute beside him. 

Marshall Pixis waved his hand at them, dismissing their attention to the proper formalities before snatching up one of Erwin’s cinnamon rolls. 

“At ease, at ease,” he drawled as he walked off, taking a generous bite out of the frosted cinnamon pastry.    

“I think, most of the time, he’s sizing us up as potential drinking buddies not jaeger pilots.”  Erwin grumbled. 

“You probably just passed with flying colors then.”  Mike laughed.  “Oh, there’s Nanaba.  We’re gonna go in for a bit of KWOON practice.  Good luck with your test!”  He clapped him on the back before snatching up the other cinnamon roll and bounding off. 

Sighing at the frosty scrap remains of his stolen breakfast, Erwin stood up to leave.  As he dumped his tray off to be washed, he heard Nile mutter angrily to himself, “Damn it, out of cinnamon rolls.” 

Well, that was some consolation, at least. 

There were still a few hours to burn before he needed to report for drift sync testing with Rico, and he planned to spend it in the KWOON room or in the gym.  He didn’t like sitting around idly.  On his way out of the mess hall, a short blond intercepted him, and he blinked. 

“Rico.”

“Hi, Erwin.”  She went straight to the point.  “I’m sure you’ve heard we’ll be attempting to drift today.” 

“Marshall Pixis just told me not ten minutes ago.” 

“Do you want to spar with me until it’s time?” 

It was always difficult for Erwin to read Rico.  Her default expression was usually quite stern, though he had been told that he didn’t always have the friendliest of faces himself.  Her voice was always commanding and severe, most of her requests sounded like orders to be obeyed, and she was quick to anger.  If he was going to be completely honest, he had been intimidated by her at first, and usually strived to stay out of her way. 

“Are you asking because you think it’ll improve our chances?” 

“It certainly couldn’t hurt them,” came the cold reply.  “If you don’t want to, then I’ll just see you at 11.”   She turned to leave, but Erwin’s sudden hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

“You’re right, it couldn’t hurt.” 

Their chances.  It couldn’t hurt their chances.  But it sure as hell hurt Erwin.  She had whipped around him to strike him in the back of his knees, and he went tumbling down onto the mat, his expression contorted with pain. 

“You don’t hold back, do you?” he winced, looking back over his shoulder at her. 

“I won’t hold back just because you are.” 

Her grey eyes were blazing at him. 

“Are you holding out on me because I’m a woman?”  she snarled.

“You misunderstand, I’m not _trying_ to beat you.” 

She threw down her staff with a huff of disgust. 

“Typical.” 

“It’s meant to be a dialogue,” Erwin sat up, grimacing slightly.  “It’s not about beating each other, it’s about understanding each other.” 

Rico flopped down across from him on the mat, eyeing him sharply. 

“Fine.  Then let’s talk.” 

That eased Erwin somewhat, but only just. 

“Okay,” he crossed his legs into lotus position and leaned forward slightly, meeting her stern look with his own icy blue calm.  “No holding back, why are you here?” 

“I lost my family because of Trespasser.  I’m here because the Jaeger Program is a better alternative to nuclear warheads that kill about as many civilians as the kaiju do.  I’m here to prevent more people from falling into my situation.” 

Her answer was exactly what Erwin expected.  Very Batman.  It was so typical, in fact, he could almost venture to call it trite, except that would be callous and insensitive. 

“So why are you here then?” she bit back.

“Nothing not nearly as noble as all that, I’m afraid.” Erwin gave a wry half-smile.  “My family is safely tucked away on the Atlantic coast, in a suburb of Manhattan.  And there was a naïve boy in me that wanted to play hero, I suppose.” 

“Well at least you’re honest with yourself.” 

“I was an Eagle Scout.” 

Rico laughed, and it was the first time Erwin had ever seen her smile without Zoe around to be the cause of it. 

“Helping little old ladies across the street and playing with a golden retriever in your parents’ backyard, I bet.” 

“Welsh Corgi,” he corrected. 

“So when you said you wanted to play hero, did you mean you wanted to be the spitting image of Steve Rogers?”    
“You’re the one who came here with Bruce Wayne’s backstory.” 

“Ugh, I hate that comparison.  I grew up privileged, not filthy rich.” 

“Hardly any difference to the ones in the streets.”

“Fair enough,” she relented.  Falling silent for a moment, she began fiddling her thumbs in her lap.  “I have to be honest, Erwin, I don’t think we’re drift compatible.” 

“The Rico I know wouldn’t give up that easily.” 

“The Rico you know,” she repeated.  “You hardly know me.  And that’s the problem.  If I can’t be compatible with Zoe, I don't think I can be compatible with anyone.” 

“We’ll see.” 

 

* * *

 

_Would you like to try again?_

Rico hated always being right. 

“Permission to be dismissed, sir.” Rico muttered bitterly. 

Marshall Pixis gave a single nod, and she rose from her seat.  When Erwin moved to stand as well, the Marshall put out a hand and shook his head.

“Not you, Mr. Smith, you’re going again.” 

When Rico opened the door, Zoe stood there looking in apologetically.  One look at Rico’s face told her that it hadn’t worked.  She only had one more chance left. 

“Good luck,” Rico whispered insincerely before walking around her and heading back to their bunk. 

As Hanji settled into the seat beside Erwin, taking the Pons headset into her hands, she turned the weight over in her hands wearily.  She wanted to be a Ranger, but she had never considered the possibility of being one without Rico as her co-pilot.  She was prepared to accept the possibility that they would both fail.  But on the other hand… it was an odd thing to be terrified of success. 

“I feel like no matter how things go here, I’m letting somebody down.”  Zoe admitted.  “If we’re compatible, I’d feel so bad for Rico.  If we’re not, I’m sorry you’ve lost another chance.” 

“It may not mean much coming from me,” Erwin reached across the seat to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.  “But what matters here is what you want to do.  As long as you don’t let yourself down by the end of this, that’s what’s important.” 

“I want to be a ranger,” the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

“Then let’s catch each other in the Drift.” 

Erwin had always thought that among all his classmates, he’d be most compatible with either Mike or Hanji.  But Mike was always going to be more compatible with Nanaba, and everyone had thought that Hanji would be compatible with Rico.  He was excited to be given the chance to drift with her, and she would know it soon enough.

 

_Neural Bridge Established. Time, twenty-three seconds._

They lurched in their seats and came back to reality to the sound of steady clapping from Marshall Pixis. 

“Well, it’s good I get to keep more of my good students.  Congratulations, Smith, Hanji, you two are going to be Rangers.” 

“Yes sir,” they replied in unison.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don’t understand Nile’s insult, just go look up “Groucho Marx” in Google Images.


	3. Drifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the term "drifting" was used within the Jaeger Program, it previously meant, "to be carried along by currents of air or water, to proceed or move unhurriedly and smoothly, and to move leisurely or sporadically from place to place." And one other, more somber definition.

Drills buzzed and whirred in Hanji’s ears as the technicians bolted them into their test drivesuits.  The weight of a pilot suit was more onerous than she had anticipated, and she was suddenly thankful for all the days spent in basic training to build up their muscle strength. 

“How’s the weight?  Heavy?!”  came the gruff voice of their instructor, Keith Shadis. 

His horrible, sunken eyes leered at them as they flexed their fingers and tested their range of motion.  The man was either silent or about as loud as a jet engine.  Hanji had never heard him speak in any decibel in between. 

“And that’s _before_ you’re strapped into a Conn-Pod!  Once you’re in that, you’ll have the added weight of the rigging on your back!” 

 _Oh, fantastic_.  Hanji bit her lip, shooting a look at Erwin beside her.  At least he didn’t share in Major General Shadis’ enthusiasm. 

“So you’re drift compatible.  Well congratulations on that, that gets you 70% of the way there.  But 70% is just barely average, and you need to be better than average to take down Kaiju!” 

He was pacing around them, yelling as if that could keep kaiju from emerging from the breach and spraying them both with a fine mist of drill sergeant spittle.  After basic training, Hanji had hoped to be spared forever from the esteemed sprinkle of Major General Shadis’ saliva, but such was her luck; he was one of three drill sergeants assigned to drivesuit testing, and the Fates chose to smile on her—or spit—as it were. 

“Do you remember your trainee boot camp?!” 

_God, who could forget?_

  
“Yes, sir!” they both barked in unison. 

“GOOD!” 

They both winced.

“Because I’m about to send your piss poor asses back there, _in these suits_ , and we’re gonna make that last 30% happen!  Now, let’s get out into that crisp Alaskan air and run some laps!” 

“Yes, sir!”  They screamed, and ran out together onto the track field, which was dusted in a fine coat of powdery snow. 

Their suits were warm enough, and thank god they were in Alaska, lest they risk overheating in them, but the chill was biting into the skin of their faces, and the cold air would soon enough start burning their lungs. 

“Remind me—why—I wanted—to be a Ranger?”  Hanji huffed with a laugh to Erwin jogging beside her. 

“Kaiju,” he panted.  “To get—your hands—on some Kaiju.” 

“Right,” she recalled.  “Mother—fucking—Kaiju.  Hella!”  That cheered her up a bit.  “And you, Erwin?” 

“For the—sleek suits—and the—pretty girls!” 

Their laughter rang out into the air as they ran, but of course, that was a mistake.  Shadis was on them in an instant. 

“Having FUN, Rangers?!  You’re not here to have fun!  You’re here to fight some fucking Kaiju and WIN!  So how’s about… you pick up the pace, and go FASTER!!” 

 

* * *

 

By the time they could remove their drivesuits, the suits were all that were holding them upright.  As soon as the major components were unbolted on their chests and backs, they both collapsed onto their knees, breathing heavily, sweat sticking their hair to their faces. 

It was well past the dinner hour, and they had been going at it hard and strong since 8 a.m. 

“I’m so hungry, I think I could eat an entire Kaiju…” Hanji groaned, flexing her toes as the last of the armor was removed, leaving nothing but the electrical plugsuit underneath. 

“Leave some for me…” Erwin rose slowly to his feet, holding out a hand to help her up. 

“Thanks,” she muttered. 

“Don’t you two look exhausted?” 

They both turned to see Mike and Nanaba walking towards them, also sweaty and seemingly tired, but not nearly as wiped out as they were.  Having drifted earlier, they were slightly ahead of them in drivesuit testing by a few days, but those few days seemed to have made quite a difference in their endurance.  Hanji took some small comfort in that, looking ahead to when she would have the stamina to keep up with Shadis’ demands. 

“It was just your luck to get Shadis again, wasn’t it?”  Nanaba laughed. 

Erwin groaned.  “Does that mean what I think it means?” 

“Yep!” Mike’s grin was much too eager to be consoling.  “He works pilots about three times harder than the other two drill sergeants.” 

“You two have great stamina to be able to keep up with him!”  Nanaba grinned as ze wrapped an arm around Hanji’s shoulders. 

“No wonder you two look fine,” Hanji grumbled. 

“I’ll just take it to mean that in the long run, Hanji and I will be much better pilots.”  Erwin boxed Mike playfully on the arm before attempting to brush his bangs back out of his eyes and comb them back into a respectable place above his forehead.  “Now how about we all get something to eat?” 

“The mess hall’s closed…” Hanji whined, leaning her weight into Nanaba for support. 

“So we eat out.  There’s a cozy little pub not too far from the Academy where Nanaba and I go.  The food’s pretty good, but it tastes better once you’ve had some drinks.” 

“Should we be getting drunk after our first day of training?”

“Don’t be such a boy scout, Erwin!  If they’re buying, then I’m drinking!”  A bit of a fire returned to Hanji’s eyes.  Her body screamed for rest, but her mind countered with thoughts of whiskey.    

“Hey I didn’t say we were—“ Mike began but Nanaba interrupted.

“Oh, just for today.  They’ve had a rough first day.” 

“Yeah, Mike!  Rite of passage!”  she boxed him in the same spot where Erwin had earlier, then began to lead the way out, though her movements were slow and sluggish. 

Several Jaeger bombs and whiskey shots later, Hanji delivered a near-comatose Erwin to his bunk.  Mike had insisted repeatedly that he wouldn’t have any trouble carrying his own roommate, but alcohol gave Hanji a wiry sort of strength she didn’t have while sober.  She had strung together a barely coherent sentence about the duties a co-pilot must serve, then hoisted Erwin over her shoulders and began walking. 

By the time she had returned to her own bunk, Rico was sound asleep.  Hanji peered at the open books by her bedside about jaeger technology and robot engineering, and smiled fondly at the thought of Rico as a jaeger tech engineer.  If Rico was the one managing repairs and maintenance on her jaeger, she could rest easy knowing that her robot would always be top notch ready for battle.  Still, she couldn’t dismiss the regret that she couldn’t share that conn-pod with her when Rico had been more desperate to be there than anyone else she knew. 

She gently kissed Rico’s sleeping brow before crawling into her own bunk, swearing silently to herself that she would do her best to pilot for the both of them, and to return to the bunk a little earlier tomorrow night so that she could catch Rico before she turned in for the night.

The problem was that she couldn’t seem to keep to that promise.  Training had increased tenfold once she was on the track to be a jaeger pilot, and they were rarely finished before eight or nine at night sometimes.  With mess halls closed, this usually resulted in her and Erwin’s stealing food from the kitchens or going out to pubs to eat.  She had nearly every meal with Erwin, talked with him for hours and hours each day, and whatever fundamental compatibility they had to begin with, they were strengthening it exponentially with each passing day. 

After almost two weeks, Shadis finally went easy on them, allowing them to call it quits around six in the evening and promising them a late start the next day.  It was as much generosity as they could expect from the man, and they were happy to take it.  After they were unbolted from their drivesuits, Erwin laughed,

“It’ll be nice to be able to eat in the mess hall with everyone else again.  Not that the food is necessarily better.”

“I wouldn’t say no to a more relaxed evening,” Hanji groaned, stretching sore muscles that were undoubtedly stronger than they had ever been. 

“Do you wanna try going out to a movie?” 

“Yeah, there’s that new—oh, no.  Actually, I should spend some time with Rico, now that I finally have free time at all.” 

“Oh… right.” 

“Maybe next time, Erwin.”  Kissing him affectionately on the cheek, Hanji jogged off to see if she could catch Rico coming out of her class.

* * *

“Hey!” 

Rico’s right side lurched forward as a weight went hurtling into it, a strong arm wrapping around hers, and she turned to see her girlfriend for the first time in several days. 

“I’m surprised you’re out early.”

  
“Well, Shadis might be starting to like us, I’m not sure.” 

“So you came to find me?”  Hanji’s hurt by the surprise in her voice. 

“With what little free time I get?  Why wouldn’t I go looking for my girlfriend first?” 

“You usually stay out later with Erwin.”  Rico’s tone was, as usual, unyielding and severe, but it was rarely laced with jealousy. 

“He’s my co-pilot, and he’s my friend,” she said defensively, reflexively. 

“And I’m just your girlfriend.”  Rico pulled her arm free, and Hanji took several cautious steps back. 

“Isn’t that why I’m here?” 

Rico bit her lip.  The words rang truer than Hanji had meant them.  For true, she may not have thought to join the Jaeger Academy on her own, following Rico as she had.  Rico had been the one with the drive, the need for vengeance, but in the end, she had turned out less qualified than the one who came along for the ride.  And she couldn’t hold that against Zoe; it was immensely unfair to put that burden on her, she knew.  But she had precious few outlets for her frustrations. 

“Look, I’m tired.  I’m just going to go back and do some reading.” 

“I’ll come too.  You can tell me about your jaeger tech training, and I can tell you about—“

“No,” Rico said abruptly.  She didn’t want to know about Zoe’s drivesuit testing.  “I just want to read alone in peace and quiet.” 

Then she walked away, and that was the end to it.  

**Author's Note:**

> This is only the beginning to what I hope will be a rather large project of a crossover, and one in which I am actually quite open to suggestions as to what people would like to see in upcoming chapters. Those who had followed my previous SNK/Pacific Rim crossover will remember that it was pretty much entirely Levihan-centric. This time though, I'm going for a full-on crossover between the two worlds, as opposed to a pairing-centric fic taking place in a vague AU.  
> That being said, it'll still be quite difficult to feature all characters and relationships equally, though I'll do my best to make sure no one is thrown in just for the sake of being included.  
> The style of the storytelling here will be reminiscent of GRRM, in which character perspectives and focus will shift between chapters. The first chapter, for instance, is told mostly from Rico's POV. Chapters may be shorter than what I'm used to posting, but I hope that will make for more frequent updates.


End file.
